Scattered Thoughts
by twintailed
Summary: A collection of drabbles involving various characters from the Kingdom Hearts universe. 7/7 currently posted. Latest: Axel figures that if Roxas doesn't know anything, that it'll all be fine, and they'll always be together.
1. A Queen's Will

During May, there was a _Three Weeks for Dreamwidth _fest, which took place on Dreamwidth, basically another one of your everday blogging sites. Anyway! The Kingdom Hearts community decided to take part by having a comment fic fest, from drabbles to ficlets, whatever length you like, as long as it fulfilled a prompt given by another user. These are the prompts that I filled during that time (seven, in total), posted in the order that they were filled (each one will be a seperate chapter). Since they're all comment fic, I'll post the prompt at the top of each one.

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**_Prompt: _**Minnie, defending the castle.

* * *

The sound of scuttling was everywhere.

She heard it most of all when she was alone; but, mostly particularly when she was in the long, empty, silent throne room after all her vassals disappeared and attended to their many various duties. It often started quietly, at first - like a trick of the light, but only with her hearing – yet that never lasted, as it grew louder, and louder, and louder, until upon it almost reaching its crescendo, Minnie left the room, unnerved, hoping it would leave her behind. But the pattern always repeated. And she always, always knew what it was. She hadn't doubted it for a moment.

It was the Heartless, creeping in, trying to take her and the castle down. Harrying her every move; waiting for the moment to strike. Minnie didn't know when it would happen, but she knew it would. She also knew she had to somehow protect those around her – her friends, her subjects which were like her family, and, above all else, the castle. That was without question. She had promised herself, and to Mickey, that she would reign whilst he was away, that nothing was going to happen to the kingdom and the people she so loved. The castle was the sign of that – if it was taken over, if she fell along with it, all would be lost once more.

One morning, Minnie was in Mickey's study, attending to her queenly duties in paper and pen, and occasionally gazing up at Mickey's portrait in fondness. She could do this work anywhere – she usually did it in the throne room – but being here, it felt almost like Mickey was with her, like he was close, not far away.

All was calm, until the next minute, the castle was in chaos.

The only thing that alerted her to the disturbance was the sounds. First of a crash, then some screams in the courtyard followed by the movement of many pairs of feet – she herself was stood up at once, flying to the door with speed, but upon reaching it, her lady in waiting, Daisy, suddenly rushed in, followed by a few guards, flinging the door shut behind her and bracing herself against it.

"Daisy, what's happening?" Minnie said, alarmed, as the rumbling outside grew louder, and the assemble of guards too pushed themselves up against the door: whatever was on the other side seemed to growl in protest. Part of her felt like she already knew what the commotion was.

"It's the Heartless, your majesty," Daisy said, urgently, but as she opened her mouth again, there was another crash from outside, louder than the first, followed by shouts from all sides.

Minnie turned to the window, to see what was happening outside, but between her and it was a guard; she truly was fenced in, protected. She turned back to Daisy, who was saying, "They've been so quiet recently, but now they're all riled—I don't know what's—" she paused, as Minnie was walking towards her, no longer still. "Your majesty?"

"Please let me through," she said, her face set in a line, determined – but with a hint of anger. Not at them; but at the fact she was the one being protected, whilst her kingdom faced those sounds beyond the door. And, whatever they were, they weren't good.

Daisy's mouth fell open, and she automatically seemed to meld more with the door, unmoving, refusing the Queen passage. "Your majesty!" she protested. "You have to stay here. You have to stay safe!"

"Daisy," she said softly. "I can't stay here. Is it right that I stay here? You know those Heartless are after me. After the castle that is in my charge. I can't just let you all get hurt, and do nothing. I have to protect my kingdom."

"But—your majesty—" Daisy flailed around for a reason to why she should stay, but Minnie spoke once more.

"I'll come back. I promise. I'm not going to let them win," she said, looking particularly humble, but her stance was the same determined one. "I know what to do, Daisy. Please."

Daisy visibly grimaced, shook her head, and then her face had the smallest of grins, before she stood upright, her voice saturated with authority, as she spoke to the guards around her. "You heard her majesty! You will accompany her through these doors! Now, let her through!"

At once, the guards all retreated from their position against the door, and Minnie swept through to face the oncoming danger, her hands already tracing spells in the air, her whole being absorbed into the light that came from her, in the peace she so wanted to bring – that she would grant to her people with her own power.

Whilst she was here, the castle would never fall.


	2. With No Regrets

**_Prompt: _**Axel. Endings.

* * *

In retrospect, there were lots of endings.

First there had been the ending of his life, and his new birth into a nobody. But that 'newness', that shiny quality that came with all things new, eventually wore off, and he didn't bother to metaphorically polish it again. It was old. It was another end, highlighted all the more by not being the last number anymore in the Organization.

So his days were filled with missions, filtered into specific types, and then, ones which were important. Which were none. None of them particularly stood out – everything blended into one. He was just relaxing – not like Demyx, who practically could be a piece of the castle decor for all the work he did – but he didn't extend much effort. He went solo, he worked solo. He came back solo. But that was fine. It wasn't desirable, but it was practical. Besides, he didn't have anything to _feel_ about it anymore.

Yet, that had ended too.

It ended the day when that spiky haired boy first appeared, staring at his shoes, or perhaps the grass, or perhaps at nothing at all. The superior had told him to watch over him – grudgingly, Axel had. But at the time, he hadn't known that an ending was in sight, that there was a pinprick on the horizon that would make things change; that, he would be the one to cause it, by deciding to get more involved with number thirteen, by deciding that maybe, just maybe, he was amusing, and then, that he was a friend, and then—

His solo days were over.

But that was fine. Maybe the beginning that would follow would be better. And, as time passed, it was. It was the best beginning he had ever really had, something that couldn't easily be replaced. Axel wasn't stupid, though – he knew it too, would come to an end. His life always followed that pattern. The days he spent with Roxas, and then the days he spent with Roxas and Xion, Axel knew, that it would all be for nought, that one day they would part, and ultimately, it would end.

Still, Axel didn't wallow in those thoughts.

He knew now it was best to make the most of things whilst they lasted.


	3. A Good Samaritan

**_Prompt: _**Leon and the dalmatian puppies. Bonus points for Leon/Yuffie - 'Squall's kind of cute sometimes.'

**

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**For some reason - he wasn't quite sure what - he was in possession of a puppy. A Dalmatian puppy, to be exact, and it was currently chewing at his collar - or _puppies_, to be even more exact. A couple of its siblings were also tailing, finding his boots fascinating, and thinking it was the greatest game to constantly yap at them and bounce on them in-between.

And Leon didn't have the heart in him to tell the three of them to stop their antics as he traipsed around the makeshift house in Traverse Town. They were just three innocent (not really), cute (not really), loveable (again, not really) puppies. Well, they were taking down his street cred, but no one had to know. Just as long as he got them back to their parents soon, they may leave him alone (he hoped so. He really didn't know where he was going to get a new set of boots if the game two of them were playing carried on).

Still, he eventually sighed at them, as the one in his arms started licking his face. Persistently. "Will you stop?" was his question. But of course, they didn't. Sighing again, he made his way to the door, the siblings at his feet almost in dance as they leapt about, but he was beaten to the door as it opened with a particularly loud bang.

The puppies squeaked, the first one hiding its face in its fur collar and the two at his feet cowering behind his boots - until they saw there was no threat, and went back to playing relentlessly. Leon immediately recognised the noisy figure - it was Yuffie, the not-so-great-ninja (when it came to silence, at least).

"Puppies!" she announced, in such a way that made it sound like they had been there the whole time and that Leon hadn't noticed, and she was doing him a favour by telling him they existed.

He resisted the urge to sigh, simply nodding. "I'm taking them back to their parents."

She ignored him. "Aww, aren't you cute?" she asked the two at his feet, who immediately forgot their previous fear for her, and started yapping cheerfully in greeting. "Hey, do they have names? I didn't think you were the puppy type."

"I'm not. Like I said, I'm taking them back to their parents." The desired effect was ruined as the puppy he was holding continued to lick his face.

"Uh huhh," she said, doubtfully. "They suit you, you know. You should hang out with them more often."

"I'm not-" he started, before he sighed, exasperated. "Look, I'm taking them back now. You can come with me or you can stay here," he cast her one last gaze before walking out the door, his puppy menagerie following in a mixture of barks, yaps, and excited growls that their prey (his boots) was making for a good chase.

Yuffie watched the odd ensemble go, before after a few seconds, followed him out the door. Really, the puppies did suit him, in a weird sort of way. And it was kind of cute that he was looking after them, too, though he would never take it seriously if she told him. That said, it wasn't going to stop her, as she immediately felt the need to voice it.

"Hey!" she called to his back, half running to catch up with him. "You know, you look kind of cute like that..."

Leon stopped, and slowly turned - his face was set into a hard line, which only made her fall about laughing.

"Okay, I take it back," she said, waving a hand in the air, catching up with him and stifling laughter - it was better this way, even if she'd really meant it. As she reached him, the puppies began to run around her feet as well as his, too. "Let's get them back home."


	4. Cure For The Wound

_**Prompt: **_Sora - it's not your fault, but it's your responsibility.

**

* * *

**Sora knows it's not his fault.

It's not his fault that they exist. It's not his fault that they capture and swallow worlds whole. It's not his fault that they keep coming back, over and over. But somtimes it feels like it is.

... It's not his fault that there are so many Heartless, so many Nobodies, so many enemies that he's destined to fight and to defeat. He can't always be there to deal with them in every single world he passes through, but he knows that it's his responsibility to get rid of them. But that's the part that sometimes makes him stop and think, though he usually goes along without questioning - does it become his fault, then? Because the Heartless are after him, they swarm in the worlds all the more, like a throbbing wound, and he's the cure. It's a wound that won't close up completely whilst he's there, but will just get worse as soon as he turns his back and puts his attention elsewhere, to another world.

And each world he goes to, the pattern repeats. More Heartless. More Nobodies. More wounds to take care of.

Maybe soon there will be too many for him to handle.

Maybe there already are. There are so many places he hasn't yet been, crying out for help. Does being too late for them make it his fault?

It's not his fault that there are so many Heartless. Or is it?

Sora doesn't know.

He just hopes, really hopes, that no one will get hurt. Because even if it is his responsibility, he can't be there to stop them all the time.


	5. Wouldn't Change It For The World

_**Prompt: **_Donald, visiting the family.

* * *

The first thing Donald saw upon arriving in Radiant Garden was the community square surrounded by shops, which he'd often seen the many times before that he'd been here with Sora.

... well, that _would_ have been the first thing he saw, but in actuality, the first thing that he _did_ see was the blurred, ridiculously close faces of his three nephews, who had all squawked "Uncle Donald!" at exactly the same time, and had then made a beeline for him - which had ended up with him being bowled over to the ground, in what _should_ have been a hug, but now was a dog pile; with _him at the bottom_.

"Uncle Scrooge," he heard Daisy say above him - she'd came with him from the castle, wanting to see the family as well - and from the sounds of things, had successfully managed to avoid the tackle run of the three ducks that were still on top of him, instead turning her attention to Scrooge, instead.

Why was he always the one at the bottom of the pile?

"Ah, lass, it's so good to see you!" Scrooge said - whatever he was doing, Donald couldn't see, attempting to disentangle himself from his nephews, pushing one aside from in front of his face to only have the face of _another_ one replacing it.

"Sorry we're so late," Daisy said apologetically. "We would have been here sooner if Donald had stopped to ask for directions." Donald felt the subtle jibe hit him in the side, and that was all the adrenaline rush he needed to propel himself upright.

"You said you knew the way!" he retorted, before having his face knocked back down on the floor by Huey- well, he thought it was Huey- with a _crash!_ against the tiles.

Daisy 'hmphed' once, but then she chuckled. "Boys, I think you better get off Uncle Donald," she suggested.

"Yes, lads," Scrooge concurred. "You won't be able to do anything with your uncle and your aunt if you keep swarming over him like that."

The boys all stopped at the same split second, before hopping off Donald, each of them holding out a hand to help him up. "We're sorry, Uncle Donald," they said together. "We just haven't seen you for a long time."

"It's only been a week!" he squawked, leaping upright without even taking hold of their hands, the flames of a fire in his eyes. The three of them, immune to the threat (or perhaps just plain used to Donald's outbursts), all ran over to Daisy, shaking her hands pleasantly in turn, utmost polite. Donald grumbled. Only _he_ got the bowling over treatment. Of course he did. Guh.

"Boys, didn't you have something you wanted to say?" Scrooge said to the three of them - now Donald could see him, he was leaning against his walking stick, looking bemused by the whole situation.

"Oh yeah!" said Duey. Huey nodded, and Louis dashed off behind Uncle Scrooge.

"What is it?" asked Daisy, moving over to stand next to Donald once again.

"It's a surprise!" came the muffled voice of Louis, who stuck his head back out from behind Uncle Scrooge to stare at his brothers. "Are you going to help or what? It's heavy!"

After all three of them disappeared, they soon returned, tugging along a cart - but whatever it was, Donald couldn't quite make out, as it'd been wrapped so haphazardly it was impossible to tell when one sheet of paper ended and another began, let alone what was inside. Together, the three nephews looked at their aunt and uncle, before they nodded, and pulled back the paper, to reveal-

"A cake!" His anger was forgotten. Oh, a cake. A cake!

"It's a present! Since you came to visit us out here," said Louis. "Because we love you, Uncle Donald, Aunt Daisy!" they chorused.

"Oh, boys..." Donald grinned, with Daisy looked elated beside him - they were sometimes a handful, and sometimes coming to visit the family meant he ended up with more bruises than when he was fighting Heartless, but he wouldn't replace his nephews for the world.

... Besides, maybe it was worth being thrown to the ground if he got cake out of it.


	6. Starbright

**_Prompt:_ **Roxas, starlight.

* * *

Roxas didn't have a name for it.

If he was completely honest, he wasn't sure why he _didn't_ have a name for it - there had to be something that it was called. But he didn't exactly frequent any places that had a sky like this. In The World That Never Was, the skies were usually empty, except for the one thing that dominated them, which was Kingdom Hearts - and in Twilight Town, it was always eternally afternoon. He didn't think he'd ever stayed there until it had truly gone dark, since the one evening he'd spent there, he and Axel had both left before it was dark.

Whatever was in the sky here, he just... he didn't have a name for it, though it tugged at the edge of his memory, as if there was a strong sense of déjà vú about it, even though he knew he'd never seen anything like it before.

Not with these eyes, at least.

It was like there was a blanket, like someone had covered the black and blue sky with lots of small, white little dots, which shone. Even in the blackness that was night, it was like he was walking in the middle of the day, like they were there to make sure he found his footing on this ruined pathway. If he looked up long enough, it was like he was among them, as there were so many, surrounding him - but they weren't threatening like the Heartless. No matter how long he stared, and stared, they continued to shine, boasting out light into the darkness that threatened to swallow them. They were little specks of hope, but what kind of hope, he didn't know.

It was absorbing and enthralling. Completely.

"Earth to Roxas," came a voice, and Roxas snapped out of his little reverie, from where he'd been engrossed in staring. It was Axel, who had been with him the whole time, and he looked a bit bemused, to say the least.

"Oh," was all he had to say for himself, and Axel laughed.

"Honestly, Roxas, stars aren't that fascinating," Axel shrugged, though his mouth was twitched upwards.

"Stars?"

"Yes, stars," Axel said, seemingly exasperated at having to repeat everything to him, even if he was only a few days old. "Those are stars. Shine in the sky, disappear in the morning. Stars."

"Oh," Roxas said again, and his face returned to staring straight upright, letting his face be drenched in starlight.

Axel waited, but since Roxas didn't move, he said shortly, "Roxas."

There was no movement in the heavens, no captivating screen.

But still Roxas didn't move. And when he usually would have been ushered on, this time, he wasn't. Somehow, his partner for the mission indulged him in an unspoken wish or thought, and was staring up to the heavens with him, too.


	7. Stay

This is the final one in the collection! Thanks for reading through. This is also a good time to say this is probably my favourite of the comment fic I did write. What can I say? I'm an AkuRoku shipper till the end.

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_**Prompt: **_Axel/Roxas - if

* * *

If Roxas didn't know anything, Axel figured, it would be okay.

At the start of things, there wasn't any particular reason to tell Roxas anything at all. No reason to tell the secrets that he was keeping, even if they were about him, or were just simply day to day complexities. That was how the Organization worked - you did your job, you came home, you don't ask questions (though even then, Axel had to admit, Roxas was given even less information than anybody else). The questions at the time weren't particularly soul-searching on Roxas' behalf, either - they were childish "why?"'s and often warranted simple answers that most people would laugh at. But Axel - and all the other members of the Organization, he supposed - indulged him. It wasn't exactly pity - they couldn't feel anything of that - but it was probably a form of sympathy. At least they had some form of past life - Roxas couldn't even remember the basics.

But then the deeper questions came, over time. And usually Roxas just asked him. And Axel occasionally had to leave, first to Castle Oblivion, and then, oh, many other missions and meetings that he couldn't share with Roxas, because he was told not to; but all his prolonged absences just _begged_ questions, even if he could weasel out of them for a time. If Roxas didn't ask, they could carry on as normal, laughing and joking and just _talking_ after their missions, Roxas eyeing up Axel's half eaten ice cream like a five year old who had never tasted ice cream before and was absolutely _starving_, so you _should_ hand it over before he died of said starvation. But sometimes Roxas _did_ ask questions, the ones that Axel wanted to avoid - and if that happened, Axel immediately brushed it off. He didn't give it another thought. He was told not to say anything. So he didn't. He didn't say anything at all.

Then, even, it could all be adverted. If Roxas didn't think about it some more, he wouldn't have concluded and realised that Axel definitely was hiding things - if he hadn't openly voiced and accused him of hiding things, Axel wouldn't have had to grudgingly turn away and openly lie through his teeth that he wasn't.

For the first time in how long, he felt bad for lying to anyone. For lying to his best friend. Roxas trusted him - he had done from the very beginning, even when he knew nothing, and- even now when Axel dashed him away by lying. Why couldn't he just trust him back?

The Organization? Or Roxas? That was the endless question. And Axel didn't have an answer or a response to it. If he ignored it, pretended it didn't exist, it would go away.

But that's a fairytale world, and Axel already knows those kind of worlds don't really exist, even if he visits them all the time.

If things worked out the way Axel wanted them to, there wouldn't be a problem.

If they just had one more day on the clock tower. If there was just one more mission. If- he didn't have a heart, why did his words stab him in recoil, hitting him harder each time Roxas gave him that disappointed, disgruntled face? If he could just say he was sorry and tell him the truth. If they weren't in the Organization. If Roxas knew everything and Axel didn't have to tell him. If Axel hadn't become friends with him in the first place... If there was just one more chance to tell Roxas no, everything was fine, that he wasn't hiding anything, and if Roxas would still believe it to be true and accept it. If, Axel had just realised that Roxas, despite the cliché, was the best thing to happen to him in his nobody existence, the one thing that _mattered_ and that the Organization should go to hell - he should just tell Roxas the truth.

If only he had realised it when he had the chance. Nothing was concrete. Things changed. All the time.

If Roxas stayed, and if he didn't know everything, it would be fine. Axel knew that. But it all depended heavily on one thing.

_If Roxas stayed._

But, in the end, he didn't.


End file.
